The present invention relates to an airway clearance system and in particular to a system that includes a chest compression device for high frequency chest wall oscillation and a subsystem which enhances airflow velocity through the air passages caused by the high frequency chest wall oscillations.
Chest compression devices have been developed to produce high frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO). HFCWO is the most successful method used for removing excess mucus from the lungs caused by a variety of diseases such as cystic fibrosis, emphysema, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic bronchitis.
The device most widely used to produce HFCWO is the ABI Vest(trademark) Airway Clearance System by American Biosystems, the assignee of the present application. A description of the pneumatically driven system can be found in the Van Brunt et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,797, which is assigned to American Biosystems. Another example of a pneumatic chest compression vest has been described by Warwick et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,263.
Pneumatically driven HFCWO produces substantial transient increases in the airflow velocity with a small displacement of the chest cavity volume. This action produces a cough-like shear force and reduction in mucus viscosity that results in an upward motion of the mucus. The ABI Vest Airway Clearance System is effective in clearing airways of mucus, however, there are limitations of its performance.
There is a constant vest pressure on the chest of the patient when using the vest. This can cause particular problems with some disease states. External pressure on the chest of a COPD patient during inspiration may cause considerable distress. Also, asthmatics may find the constant vest pressure extremely irritating, and those with constricted and inflamed airways may find it uncomfortable. Therefore, eliminating the constant vest pressure would be beneficial.
It is difficult to determine a short term reduction in airway resistance during treatment. Airway resistance is the ratio of airway pressure to airway airflow. It is an indicator of the degree of plugging of the lung passages by mucus, and therefore, periodic measurement of airway resistance provides a good indicator of the success or lack thereof of a treatment for lung clearance.
Prior art vest systems do not have the ability to aid in removing mucus from the upper airway passages. With some disease states, the debilitated patient is unable to produce a cough to remove the mucus accumulated in the upper airway passages. Normally, the current vest systems accelerate the mucus upward and outward in the upper bronchial passages and trachea by increasing airflow velocity. Many individuals can then, by means of a volitional cough, force the mucus into the mouth and then expectorate. The effectiveness of the treatment is greatly reduced if a weakened individual is unable to do this. Also, since a cough is an effective natural method of moving the mucus out of the airway, it would be beneficial to have a system which produced a cough on each oscillation of the chest wall.
Since increased airflow velocity is key to clearing the lungs of mucus, it would be advantageous to improve upon the current systems in order to induce even higher airflow velocities from users. This would make the vest system even more effective at removing mucus from the lungs.
The invention discloses a method and apparatus for clearing a patient""s lungs of mucus. The method includes applying an oscillating compressive force to the patient""s chest that includes a steady state force and an oscillating force component. Air pressure is supplied to the patient""s mouth via a mouthpiece. The air pressure is delivered in a timed relationship to the oscillating compressive force to provide increased oscillatory airflow for better lung clearance.